As of June 30, 2025, the National Climate Assessments were no longer accessible on federal websites, with no explanation or referrals to other sources. The assessments are mandated by the 1990 Global Change Research Act and must be conducted every four years, but the Trump administration canceled a key contract and dismissed the experts working on the next edition of the assessment earlier in the year, causing concern that the sixth NCA was “effectively destroyed.” The Congressionally-mandated assessments are used by state and local governments, as well as the general public, to know what to expect and how to prepare for a changing climate.
The administration previously claimed that the assessments would be housed within the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as required by law, but searches on the NASA websites yielded no results, and no further information has been provided.
Scientists expressed concern that removing the reports amounts to censoring science and will leave communities without critical information about how climate change will affect them. Kathy Jacobs, a University of Arizona climate scientist who coordinated the 2014 version of the report, said, “This is evidence of serious tampering with the facts and with people’s access to information, and it actually may increase the risk of people being harmed by climate-related impacts.”